Post-Show: How to Use Digital Marketing to Turn Event Leads Into Lasting Results

The show might be over, but the digital work is just beginning. How you follow up after the event often determines whether conversations turn into customers or disappear entirely.

Post-show digital activity helps you stay front of mind, build on the energy from the event and create a structured follow-up process that supports your sales and marketing teams.

Here’s how to keep the momentum going once the stand comes down.

Set up a follow-up email sequence

Not everyone you spoke to will be ready to act right away, but they will expect to hear from you. A simple, well-timed email sequence shows you’re organised, professional and genuinely interested in helping.

What to send:

• A welcome or thank-you email. Send this within 24 to 48 hours. Remind them who you are, thank them for visiting and include a link to any useful content or a meeting booking form.
• A follow-up email. A few days later, share a specific next step such as a brochure, case study or quote. Keep the message personal and relevant to what they asked about.
• A value-led email. Towards the end of the week or early the following week, share something helpful like a blog post, guide or insight that fits their area of interest.

Make sure every email is branded, mobile-friendly and easy to scan quickly.

Organise and qualify your leads

Before you start selling, make sure your leads are organised and qualified properly.

Steps to take:

• Import your event leads into your CRM with clear tags, notes or sources.
• Prioritise hot leads who asked for follow-ups or booked meetings.
• Assign leads to the right sales or account manager.
• Log key actions and timelines so nothing is missed during handover.

A well-organised lead list means faster follow-up and better conversion.

Bonus: Remember picking up the phone to follow up is still the highest converting method.

Launch a post-show paid social campaign

A targeted social media campaign helps you re-engage people who interacted with you before or during the event, and capture interest from those who missed you.

What to include:

• Retargeting ads. Show ads to people who visited your website or filled in a pre-show form. Remind them who you are and how to take the next step.
• Missed-you messaging. Try something like “Couldn’t make it to [Event Name]? Here’s what you missed” and link to a landing page, form or video.
• Event recap content. Use photos, testimonials or videos from the show to build trust and reinforce your value.

These campaigns are low cost and highly targeted, making them ideal for driving post-show engagement.

Repurpose your event content

If you captured video, photos or quotes at the show, now’s the time to put them to work.

Content ideas:

• Create a short event highlight video or photo gallery.
• Turn customer quotes into testimonials or case studies.
• Write a blog post covering key questions or trends that came up at the show.
• Use clips from demos or interviews in future social posts.

This extends the life of your event presence and fills your content calendar with fresh, relevant material.

Post on organic social

Your followers want to see how the event went and what the results were. This is your chance to share highlights and keep the conversation going.

What to share:

• A wrap-up post with event highlights, outcomes and thanks to visitors.
• Photos of the team, the stand, and memorable moments.
• Any partner or influencer shoutouts, reshared content or visitor tags.
• Insights or trends you noticed during the event.

Be sure to tag the event organiser, customers and collaborators where relevant.

Reconnect with influencers or partners

If you worked with any partners or influencers in your lead-up or at-show activity, continue the conversation afterwards.

Ideas:

• Share their content with a thank-you post or story.
• Feature them in your event recap blog or video.
• Ask if they’d be happy to collaborate again for future events or campaigns.

These relationships often lead to further reach, joint content or referral opportunities.

Review what worked and what didn’t

Take time to analyse your digital activity around the event so you can improve next time.

Look at:

• Email open and click rates.
• Leads, and sales conversions.
• Social media reach, engagement and post performance.
• Ad spend, impressions, clicks and conversions.

Capture all your learning in a simple debrief so your team is ready to go again, better and faster.

Final Thought

Just because the event has ended doesn’t mean the opportunity has. With the right digital follow-up, you can continue conversations, build relationships and turn new contacts into real customers.

A focused mix of email, social, video and CRM activity helps you stay visible, build credibility and keep moving forward long after the stand is packed away.